2014考研英语二真题（完整版）

　　Part A

　　Directions:

　　Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

　　Text 1

　　What would you do with 590m? This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found for tune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.

　　These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly what was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time-as stories or memories-particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.

　　This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most "happiness bang for your buck." It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it).Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason MacDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.

　　Readers of “HappyMoney” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, not hunger.Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent。

　　21.According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?

　　[A]A big house

　　[B]A special tour

　　[C]A stylish car

　　[D]A rich meal

　　22.The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is

　　[A]critical

　　[B]supportive

　　[C]sympathetic

　　[D]ambiguous

　　23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that

　　[A]consumers are sometimes irrational

　　[B]popularity usually comes after quality

　　[C]marketing tricks are after effective

　　[D]rarity generally increases pleasure

　　24.According to the last paragraph,Happy Money

　　[A]has left much room for readers’criticism

　　[B]may prove to be a worthwhile purchase

　　[C]has predicted a wider income gap in the us

　　[D]may give its readers a sense of achievement

　　25.This text mainly discusses how to

　　[A]balance feeling good and spending money

　　[B]spend large sums of money won in lotteries

　　[C]obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent

　　[D]become more reasonable in spending on luxuries

　　Text 2

　　An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think you’re more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.

　　We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we’re hot stuff.